CEDAR CREST COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORENSIC SCIENCE PROGRAM

Allentown, PA (June 11, 2007) - Cedar Crest College has announced a new graduate program offering a Master of Science in Forensic Science. The College was granted provisional approval by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, and the program will be offered beginning in the fall 2007 semester.

"Cedar Crest has been at the forefront with its undergraduate program in forensic science," says Dr. Carol Pulham, acting president of Cedar Crest. "The addition of this master's program, the first of its kind in the Lehigh Valley, is a fantastic accomplishment as the College continues its commitment to meet national needs in the sciences."

Cedar Crest established its bachelor level forensic science program in 1999. Of the roughly 150 forensic science undergraduate programs in the U.S., Cedar Crest College is one of only ten programs to be awarded full accreditation by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and is the only program in the Lehigh Valley to hold this distinction. The program has been among the largest areas of interest indicated by prospective undergraduate students since its inception at Cedar Crest.

"A decade ago, only about three percent of jobs in the forensic science field required a graduate degree. Today that number has increased to 33 percent," says Dr. Larry Quarino, director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest. "With the growing interest in the field and a competitive job market, the master's degree in forensic science gives many graduates an edge when seeking employment."

The Master of Science in Forensic Science at Cedar Crest College is a full-time program designed to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century by providing the necessary theoretical and practical background in all areas of criminalistics; a meaningful forensic science research experience; and the opportunity to develop written and oral communication skills.

"We have constructed the program to extend beyond a core foundation in all primary areas of forensic science and to be highly focused on research," says Quarino. "While it will help create future generations of competent forensic scientists, the goal of the program is to produce graduates who aspire to leadership positions in forensic science research, administration and public policy."

The new program brings together several key faculty members from Cedar Crest College who among them have more than 50 years experience in the field, classroom and laboratory. In addition to this expertise, they have produced numerous publications, presented at professional meetings, and provided courtroom testimonies. Members of the faculty include the aforementioned Dr. Quarino, who spent eleven years as a laboratory supervisor in the Department of Forensic Biology at the New York City Medical Examiner's Office; Dr. Thomas Brettell, a former laboratory director of the New Jersey State Police Forensic Science Laboratory System; Professor Carol Ritter who is a member of the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts; and Professor Brian Gestring, who is the former director of both the undergraduate and graduate forensic science programs at Pace University in New York City. These faculty members are all professionally certified with the American Board of Criminalistics.

For more information, please contact the College Relations Office at 610-740-3790.